Investing Experts Steven Cress' 3 REITs for inflationary, heated times
Mar 4, 2026
Steven Cress, Head of Quant at Seeking Alpha, brings quant-driven market commentary and dividend-focused stock ideas. He discusses inflation, geopolitics, sector rotation, and why dividend REITs matter now. He highlights three REITs chosen by quantitative screens and outlines a barbell approach balancing income with trimmed speculation.
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Sticky Inflation Is Fueling Market Volatility
- Inflation is staying hotter than expected with core CPI at 2.5% and PPI at 2.9% year-over-year in January 2026.
- Steven Cress links sticky inflation plus energy-driven PPI to market pressure and greater volatility ahead of the Fed meeting.
Use Dividends To Get Paid While You Wait
- Do consider dividend-paying stocks as a hedge during inflationary and geopolitical uncertainty because you effectively 'get paid to wait'.
- Cress notes his three-stock REIT set averages a 5.64% forward yield as a defensive income layer.
Rotation Into Defensive Sectors Is Underway
- Geopolitical pressure has rotated capital into defensive sectors with year-to-date strength in energy, materials, industrials, and consumer staples.
- Cress notes MAG7 tech underperformance reflects AI-related selloffs driving the rotation.